bob, can you really make a deal on the fiscal cliff when the negotiation is out in public? do you think we'll get a deal done? that's what everybody wants to know. >> if everybody thinks we ought to get to a deal, we'll get to a deal. the public part of this, obviously, it's different. you got to get 435 people to vote in the house and 100 in the senate. different than getting a board to approve a fundamentally, getting to a deal is about understanding expectations. this public thing is a very good point. it couldn't be different. when two ceos are meeting to do a merger negotiation, one guy shows up in jeans, and the other guy has sunglasses on. they meet at the o'hare hilton. they don't want anybody to know about it. >> wait a minute. let's point this out. go ahead, jeff. >> the risk is taking the worst part of what wall street does, which is this negotiation of do a deal, do a deal, do a deal, do any deal. that's what happened with hp-autonomy. that's what you don't want to take from wall street in this situation. >> let's face it. a ceo is judged on success by the botto